Design a Breathtaking Body Shatter Effect

Design a Breathtaking Body Shatter Effect

on Jan 5th 2009 with 55 comments
Tutorial Details
  • Requirements: Just After Effects... enjoy
  • Difficulty: Intermediate
  • Run Time: 22:36 min

Final Product What You'll Be Creating

In this tutorial we learn how to create a body shattering effect similar to the one at the end of Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” video. For this tutorial we’ll be applying the effect to a still image, but it can also be used to great effect on green screen footage.

Tutorial

Download Tutorial .mp4

File size: 313 MB

Since we first published this tutorial, one of our readers tried it on some moving footage and ran into a situation which is not immediately apparent when doing this effect on a still image. So we recorded this addendum tutorial that shows the situation and how to deal with it, so if you are planning to use this effect on moving footage definitely watch this. We would like to thank Illd and his friend Steffen who were kind enough to let us use their footage.

Addendum

Download Tutorial .mp4

File size: 36.3 MB

Tags: shatter
 
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  • http://www.broof.de BroOf

    Great effect!

  • Maceo

    Cool tutorial, ill definitely use this technique sometime.
    Thx AETUTS

  • Gabriel

    Nice effect, but I wouldn’t use it at a person picture.

  • mamjed

    Ugh if only there was flash for the iPhone… I guess I have to find a computer to check out this effect, which I’m sure is breath taking. Loving your tuts Lloyd!

  • Kajik

    Very interesting and useful techniques in this tutorial.

    Thanks!

  • http://jhaygamba.com Jhay

    What? iPhone got no flash? WTH! Anyway, great tuts! Thanks AETUTS.

  • http://www.instantshift.com/ DKumar M.

    interesting !!

  • BogDinamita

    cool stuff

  • JoNuggs

    Great tutorial! I really liked learning about the custom shatter maps.

  • http://fxmedia.blog.siol.net cyco

    Sweet! Thx!

  • http://www.1pixelbrush.com Dan

    Um

  • Cleric

    Thanks!

  • http://scottacornell.com Scott Cornell

    Great Tut!!! Thanks!
    So I’m guessing the next tut will be on how to apply this to a video of a person shot on green.
    I’m trying it and made it work with the exception of a alpha track matte effect in the final comp…still working on it.

  • http://aescripts.com Lloyd Alvarez
    Author

    @Scott – Just key your greenscreen in a pre-comp and use it in the same place I am using the still in the “Chris” comp.

  • illd

    To me, One of the best AE Tutorials ever!
    But the use of the shatter plugin has one big disadvantage: It always samples only the first frame of the shattermap. That means If you want for example some keyed footage with some movements in it as a map, it will only recognize the first frame and the map will freeze at it – very sad!

    @ Loyd Alvarez: Is there maybe a workaround with an Expression or even ascript?

  • http://butai8.net Ben Carroll

    It doesn’t look very real, with it being a still image and all.
    But its a pretty cool effect just try it with some motion footage next time.

    Ha I sound like such a downer in all my comments.

  • illd

    I mentioned it before, it seems motion footage will not work with the shatter effect…

  • http://aescripts.com Lloyd Alvarez
    Author

    The Shatter effect does work with motion footage. If you follow the tutorial and swap the “Chris” still image with footage it will continue moving after it is shattered.

  • illd

    Yes the shatter will continue, but it takes only the first frame as reference, (at least in my AE CS3). My test footage is a keyed footage of a guy throwing his arms up at about second 2, while using the shatter effect I never see him even moving the arms…Is there something I missed?

  • http://aescripts.com Lloyd Alvarez
    Author

    I would re-trace your steps because the footage should continue moving within the shattered pieces.

  • illd

    OK, although I just doublechecked everything and couldnt solve it, it seems to be a fault of mine because I am the only one with the problem so far.

    Sorry, I am no nativespeaker and maybee I described the problem wrong: The Footage is shattering and moving, but the moving footage looks like it is cutted out with an alphamatte of its on from frame one. Does that make sense to anyone?

    • m666

      im having the exact same problem, would there be any solution to this?

  • Andrew Hawryluk

    Awesome effect. Great tutorial.

  • http://www.motionworks.com.au John Dickinson

    Nice clear explanation Lloyd, thanks, I’ll link to it when people ask me about Shatter. For those who are new to Fractal Noise, once you have your Fractal set up you can experiment with different looks by changing the Random Seed (EVOLUTION OPTIONS > RANDOM SEED).

  • http://www.coverganda.com CoverGanda

    Att. illd
    Make a movie and upload it to youtube.com for us to see.

  • http://www.trinolia.com Trin

    @CoverGanda

    Here is my interpretation of the problem.

    While I haven’t tried it myself, I believe illd is saying that if your matte is animated (for example, animating evolution on the fractal noise), Shatter’s ‘custom map’ will only take the first frame of the matte’s animation and use that first frame as it’s map.

    This would imply that the ability to create any significantly impressing animation with this technique would be impeded; even if your footage is animated, the mask will be a still frame. Does limit things, if true.

  • http://aescripts.com Lloyd Alvarez
    Author

    I did a quick test and I think I know what Illd is running into now. The shatter map is what doesn’t animate. These are the factal shaped pieces that the break off. This is how the effect is intended to work. Think of it as if the body was made out of plaster and once you chip away pieces, those pieces would not change shape. The part of the body that has not shattered, however, should continue animating and does if you follow the tutorial. Hope that helps.

  • mini W

    it is pretty cool, nice!
    but, im really look forward to seeing the 3D body shattering effect’s one.
    thx!

  • illd

    I posted a Video on youtube http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=8iBhppSGNto which shows my problem. Look at the left arm at the first second. It obviously disappers although the shatter map is animating simultaneosly.
    The only workaround I could imagine is to build unique shatterlayers and shattermaps for every frame. But to do this manually would be pure madness. Thats why I asked for a Expression/Script which maybee could automates this process…

  • http://www.fridgepants.com Patrick Smith

    Wow.. too awesome!! Keep up the great work Lloyd!

    I’ll definitely be using this one!

    Best regards

  • http://aescripts.com Lloyd Alvarez
    Author

    @illd – It’s hard to tell but it looks like the arms might be getting cropped by a mask or something. Try delaying your force to see if you can see the arms raise before the shatter happens. I can see the head moving so I know your footage is moving. If you are still stuck you can send me your project and I can take a look to see what’s going on. Either way I think you’ve done a nice interpretation of the effect!

  • illd

    @ Loyd Alvarez: Yes, the arms get cropped with its own exact alphamatte at frame 1 – I guess somehow through the shatter effect…
    Could you PM me that I can send you an link for the project?
    Thanks for your support and patience so far!

  • Krishna

    Very good tutorial, i was looking for similar simulation from a long time. finally i got a solution… but can anyone please tell me for having more precise controls over shatter ( recommending some plugins or other applications )

  • illd

    Thanks for the addendum, now it all makes sense :)

  • Jonathan Clegg

    great stuff guys

  • giovanni

    Dude thank you so much for this tutorial I saw that clip b4 and i knew it could be done with after fx but i wasn’t sure how, thanks great tutorial :)

  • владимир

    класс эффект!

  • kami

    thanks you for tutorial. there are very good.

  • Julhas

    those are very helpfull

  • magnum

    Thanks a lot for that tutorial and this website

  • Shanna

    can this action be done in reverse too.
    I love it!

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  • David

    How do u make it so that your shatter eventually stops moving and stays in frame

    for example when a glass breaks once all the pieces shatter and hit the ground they stay put due to the ground being there

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  • Adam

    why is it that when i load my shatter map into the custom setting the only result i get is my footage moving off screen? it doesn’t seem to be reading my shatter map… Help!!!!

  • http://t52.cyberpunk.ru sergey kritskiy

    Hi, Lloyd
    First of all, thanks for all those tutorials here and scripts at your site: I feel really inspired and become highly interested in AE after seeing those. It is great that you share all of those with us!
    Second thing: I have a question regarding this shatter tutorial. I wonder if there is a way for this fragments to cast a shadow. It seems that you cant make the layer with effect a 3d layer and in the same time if you precompose this layer it will be flat.
    Or could be other plugins/ways to create same effect but with shadows from fragments?
    Thanks in advance!

    • http://aescripts.com Lloyd Alvarez
      Author

      @sergey – I don’t think the shatter plugin can generate shadows based on comp lights. Not aware of any other plugins but if you really need shadow control on fragments you might want to consider a 3D app.

  • venky raju

    very cool and helpfull

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  • bubu

    thanks a lot !

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